Beast
by 1farmergirl
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a boy named Kurt.  But everyone in town called him Beauty.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Beast  
Author: 1farmergirl  
Pairing: Karomel  
Rating: PG for this chapter  
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a boy named Kurt. But everybody in town called him Beauty.  
Author's Note: So, I was over at j2_everafter Disney challenge, picking out my prompt and I came across one for Beauty and the Beast. Instantly, I thought 'OMG, Karomel was made for this story' and I just had to write it. So, here is the story of Karomel, told with a Beauty and the Beast twist, both the Disney and classical versions.

**Prologue **

Once upon a time there was a handsome young prince. As a young child, this prince was the most charming of boys. He was always cheerful and loving. His laughter as he played in the garden could lighten anyone's spirits.

However, this young man was the crown prince, and as crown prince it was his duty to be engaged to a princess who would one day become his queen. The prince spent his whole life knowing he was to marry this girl who he did not love.

When the prince was old enough to become king, he married his fiancé, though it pained him to do so, and brought her to his bed. But their coupling was nothing like his friends and family had described it to be. Though having nothing to compare the experience to, the king thought nothing of it.

Until the day he walked in on two of the stable boys exchanging kisses outside a horse stall.

The king had never seen or heard of anything like this before, but he knew almost instantly that this was what was missing from his loveless marriage. The knowledge that he would never be able to have that, that he would be forced to live out the rest of his life in his sham of a marriage, caused something to twist inside the king. It caused his very soul to become tainted and for him to lash out at his fellow man in the most hateful of ways.

Things became even worse when the queen died of a fever. Eventually, the king became a tyrant over his people. He taxed the people so strongly that they barely had enough left to live on. He became physically violent towards his staff, never seeming to care if it was man, woman, or child he was shouldering out of his way.

After putting up with this for many years, the townspeople decided that they'd had enough. They pooled together what little money they had until they had enough to hire a witch. They asked the witch to magic the king out of existence, but the witch believed in giving people second chances.

So she asked the king if he would change his ways, but the king was now an arrogant man and he said that as king he had the right to treat his subjects however he saw fit. To this, the witch replied, "I have been hired by your subjects to do away with you and based on your current behavior; I can't say that I blame them. However, I can see that you have not always been this cruel, but rather it is the curse of the fates that has brought you to this. So, here is what I am going to do instead. I am going to free your people from your tyrannical reign and isolate you away in this castle you hold so dear. I am going to transform you so that your exterior appearance is just as ugly as your interior. Only when you find someone you can someone who can love you despite your ugliness will the spell be broken."

With those words, the witch waved her wand and magiked everything she had just described into being. Despite the king's vicious tendencies, there were still some in his employ who did not wish to leave his side. Those who could still remember when the king had been a sweet, young boy; before he had changed so much.

The witch magiked those few to have the appearance of common household items that would take care of the king for the years to come while they waited for someone to break the spell. As a finishing touch to her work, the witch put as sort of stasis charm on the castle and its occupants so that they would not age as the years passed. They had a very long wait ahead of them.

Shut away as he was and faced with his own hideousness the king became even more bitter and withdrawn than he was before. At first he had been hopeful that someone would come along and free him from this curse, but as weeks turned to months and months turned to years the king began to believe that he had nothing left to hope for.

After all, who could ever love a beast?


	2. In Which Kurt is Introduced

Title: Beast  
Author:  
Pairing: Karomel  
Rating: PG for this chapter  
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Disney  
Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy named Kurt. But everybody in town called him Beauty.  
A/N: Italics are lines taken from Disney's Beauty and the Beast with some slight modifications. Apologies to anyone who really likes Will, it's nothing personal, I like him too, I just needed a bad guy.

**Chapter 1: In Which Beauty is Introduced**

In a small village in France there lived a young man named Kurt, but very few people ever called him by that name. He had a surprisingly feminine face and voice for a boy and he had been teased with the nickname of 'Beauty' in the schoolyard. The boy had been too clever to be brought down by this childish teasing and to prove it didn't bother him, he began having his teachers and what few friends he had call him by the name as well. Even now, years after he had finished school, he was still called Beauty by most people who knew him.

It wasn't only his strange choice in nicknames that set Kurt apart from the other villagers. He also had this fascination with books that befuddled many of the villagers. Most of them had only ever read when it was required for school and once they were finished never picked up another book again. Kurt, on the other hand, was often found with his nose in a book.

_Look there he goes, the boy who's so peculiar  
I wonder if he's feeling well  
With a dreamy, far off look  
And his nose stuck in a book  
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Kurt_

Kurt just found stories so fascinating. When he was reading one, he would get so lost in the adventure and romance that he couldn't put the book down until it was finished. Then once he'd finished that book he found himself craving more until he had another book in his hand.

The fact was, Kurt wasn't really satisfied with his life. He was happy enough. In the morning he would help his father with his inventions and in the afternoon he would run errands in town. Everything was the just same day after day with nothing ever changing from his normal routine.

He wished he could escape from this world and into a different one that was filled with adventures and quests like the ones he read about. More than that, Kurt wished for one of the epic romances that he'd read about. He wanted to be swept away by his very own prince charming or knight in shining armor.

There wasn't anyone like that in the village. There was just stupid, arrogant men who wouldn't know romance if it smacked them upside the head. So, he read and slipped away into the beautiful, exciting world that the stories created.

_Now, isn't this amazing  
It's my favorite part because you see  
Here's where she meets Prince Charming  
But she won't discover that it's him till chapter three_

Something out of the ordinary was happening today though. Kurt's father had taken one of his inventions to a fair in the next town and had left Kurt at home. It was the first time Kurt had been left at home on his own.

Kurt had found the idea of 'living on his own' exciting at first, but it wasn't all that different Kurt realized as he moved aimlessly from room to room. The house was lot quieter without the sound of his father's tinkering in the basement and dinner would probably be boring without anyone to talk to, but other than that nothing had really changed.

Kurt was just going though the books on his shelves, trying to decide which one he wanted to reread, when he heard a knock at the front door. Far too excited at the thought of company, Kurt rushed to open the door, only to feel his excitement rush out of him in a sigh when he saw who it was.

"Will, to what do I owe this surprise?" Kurt asked, wondering what would be the fastest way to get rid of this nuisance without being rude. There was nothing wrong with Will, per say, he just gave Kurt the creeps with his posturing and his smug voice. And Kurt had it on good authority that Will didn't like books.

"Beauty, my darling," Will said, in such a way that Kurt could practically feel the slime dripping off his nickname. "I have a proposition for you. Or perhaps, proposal would be a better word in this instance."

Alarms began to go off in Kurt's head when he heard those words and he began to subtly lean into the door so he could slam it in Will's face really fast should the need arise.

"Oh, what's that?" Kurt asked, trying to remain as calm as possible.

"I have decided it's time for me to settle down, and after taking into consideration everyone in the village, I have decided that you shall be the one I marry," Will said, with such an air as if to imply he was giving Kurt an amazing gift.

Kurt blinked before saying, "No, thank you," and moving to close the door, only to be stopped by Will.

"I'm sure this is a tremendous shock. I'm sure you're wondering how you could possibly deserve such an honor and perhaps you are concerned that you will be unable to live up the expectations. But let me assure, that I have every confidence that you will." He then had the audacity to place a hand over Kurt's bottom.

Kurt was so shocked at such an advance that he couldn't say anything, just pushed Will away as hard as he could and slammed the door in his face. Through the heavy oak door he could faintly hear the sound of Will swearing as he stumbled down the steps.

Kurt waited for a few minutes and when all he heard was silence, he cautiously opened the door and looked around. When he didn't see Will right away he stepped outside to make absolutely sure that the coast was clear.

"_Is he gone_," Kurt asked one of the chickens pecking in the yard, simply because there was no one else to ask. Once he was satisfied that Will had indeed left, he stomped out into the yard, fuelled by his righteous anger.

"_Can you imagine_?" Kurt huffed. "_He asked me to marry him. Me, married to that boorish, brainless…"_

_Madame Shuester, can't you just see it?  
Madame Shuester, his little wife  
No sir, not me, I guarantee it  
I want much more than this provincial life  
I want adventure in the great wide somewhere  
I want it more then I can tell  
And for once it might be grand  
To have someone understand  
I want so much more than they've got planned_

Kurt sighed, his anger dissipating and leaving him feeling empty inside. What if Will was the closest he ever got to romance? Was he going to be forced to spend the rest of his days alone, never knowing what it was like to be truly loved by another human being?


	3. In Which Kurt Arrives at the Castle

Title: Beast  
Author:  
Pairing: Karomel  
Rating: PG for this chapter  
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Disney  
Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy named Kurt. But everybody in town called him Beauty.

**Chapter 2: In Which Kurt Arrives at the Castle**

Kurt breathed out a sigh of relief when he finally, _finally _saw his father's wagon pull up the drive. His father should have been back from his trip to the fair two days ago and Kurt had spent most of that time all but tearing his hair out with worry.

His father often lost track of the time. He would be drawn in by his experiments and forget to come to dinner or something. Because of this, Kurt hadn't been all that worried when his father hadn't come back exactly when he said he would. But there was a huge difference between being a little late for a meal and forgetting to come home for a whole two days.

Kurt had imagined all the horrible things that could have happened…but he didn't need to stress about that anymore. His father was home now and needed to be properly welcomed. Kurt thought as he rushed out the door.

"Father!" Kurt cried as he buried himself in his father's hug. "Where have you been? I've been so worried."

"I'm sorry, son. I was…distracted by the fair. You know how I can get," he said, hugging Kurt even harder.

Kurt smiled up at his father, just glad that he was home safe. "Come inside," he said. "I'll heat up some food for you and you can tell me all about your trip."

At first everything seemed to be back to normal, but as the evening went on Kurt's father became, well, Kurt could really only describe it as clingy. His father had never been particularly physically affectionate. Kurt had never doubted that his father loved him, he'd just gotten used to hugs being reserved for special occasions. Tonight though, he couldn't seem to go more than a few minutes without squeezing Kurt's shoulder, or running a hand through his hair.

"Father, is everything alright?" Kurt asked.

"Of course, everything's fine," he was reassured, but his father's smile was tinged with sadness.

"Ok, then. Oh, you'll never believe what happened while you were gone." Kurt said, hoping that his humorous story would cheer his father up. "Will Shuester came over here and proposed to me."

He waited for his father to laugh, but instead all he got was a thoughtful expression. "Really, what did you say?"

"I said no, of course. I could never marry that man. You can't honestly think I could consider it."

"Well, you might want to keep an open mind about this. I would be good to have someone to look after you if anything happened to me."

"Father, why are you talking like that? Please, tell me what's wrong, don't lie to me."

His father reached over to hold Kurt's hand with a sigh. "You're right, I did lie to you about why I was late getting home. I actually left the fair a day early. But on the way home I came across what I thought were wild roses. I know how much you love those flowers, so I thought I would pick a few to bring home to you. As soon as I plucked the first blossom however, I was grabbed by a monster."

"He said that the roses were his property and for damaging them I would have to pay him back by becoming his slave. He kept me in a dungeon in this huge castle for two days before I could convince him to let me go long enough to say goodbye to my son. I have to return to the castle tomorrow night."

"Father-," Kurt was horrified by what he'd been told.

"Now Kurt I don't want you to worry. There's plenty of money in our savings for you to live off of until you find someone suitable to marry."

"What if I went in your place?" Kurt suggested, desperate to come up with a plan that would keep his father safe.

"No Kurt, you have your whole life ahead of you. I have already lived my life. My only regret is that I won't be able to see you anymore, my Beauty."

"Father," Kurt started, tears in his eyes.

"No tears now, son. We'll have all day together tomorrow and who knows? Maybe I'll be able to convince the beast to let me come back and visit you sometimes." Kurt was openly sobbing now, but his father tucked him into his bed like he used to do when Kurt was little and soothed him until Kurt fell asleep.

Kurt woke up sometime in the night to a silent house, save for the sound of his father's snores in the next room. Kurt curled up in his bed as he remembered everything he'd been told earlier that night. Kurt bare the thought of his father being locked away with only this…beast for company.

His mind made up, Kurt slipped out of bed and changed into his riding clothes as quietly as he could. In a bag he packed a change of clothes, his winter cloak, some bread and cheese and his three favorite books. Then he tiptoed into his father's room to set a letter explaining what he'd done on the bedside table and placed a gentle kiss on his father's temple.

As soon as he rode out of the barn, the tears began falling again until Kurt could barely see where he was going. He ended up giving the horse it's head and just letting it go wherever it pleased. What did it matter if he got lost? It wasn't like he was particularly eager to be locked away from his father and the rest of the world.

But the horse seemed to remember the path it had taken to bring his father home and as the sun was coming up its light fell on a forbidding looking castle.

As Kurt rode though the front gate he stared up at the place that he supposed would be his home now in awe and not a little fear. It tried to convince himself that his knees weren't knocking together as he got off the horse and climbed the front steps.

It took him forever to get the door open wide enough for him to squeeze in. Once he was inside he wondered why he'd tried so hard to get in. The inside of the castle was just as dark and scary as the outside. There were cobwebs everywhere and the air felt cold and damp.

But Kurt had definitely made the right decision taking his father's place. His father wasn't young and healthy like Kurt; he would have gotten really sick living in this environment. Fortified by this knowledge, Kurt squared his shoulders, wrapped a firm hand around his bag, and headed off in search of the beast.


	4. In Which Beauty Meets Beast

Title: Beast  
Author:  
Pairing: Karomel  
Rating: Pushing it up to PG-13 for this chapter for some violence and suggested behavior  
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Disney  
Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy named Kurt. But everybody in town called him Beauty.  
A/N: Italics are lines taken from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" with some slight modifications.

**In Which Beauty Meets Beast**

"Hello?" Kurt called out into the dark hallway, "Is anyone there?" When no one answered right away he wondered idly if it would be reasonable for him to just leave with no one being any the wiser.

Kurt moved slowly down the hallway, straining his eyes to see in the dark corners. He tensed up when he thought he heard something coming up behind him, but when he turned around, there was nothing there. Praying that he'd just imagined the noise and the castle wasn't infested with rats, Kurt hurried further down the hall.

Kurt could make out suits of armor along the walls and pieces of broken furniture on the floor, but that seemed to be it. The hallway ended in a large ballroom, just as empty as the rest of the castle. Kurt was wondering what the odds were of this being the wrong castle when there was a loud growl behind him.

"Why are you trespassing in my castle?"

Kurt jumped about a foot in the air and whirled around to see the beast. Insanely, Kurt kind of wanted to give himself a pat on the back for not passing out right away. No one could have blamed him if he had.

The beast was huge, nearly a foot taller than Kurt and broad enough that his shoulders were twice the width of Kurt's. He was covered with thick, dark fur and had an honest to got muzzle. What was scariest of all was the huge, sharp teeth that were currently being bared in his direction.

"I'm…um, I," Kurt stammered, "I'm Beauty," Kurt finally squeaked out, before blushing when he realized he'd introduced himself with his nickname instead of his real name. The beast didn't seem to need further explanation because he huffed, blowing hot air over Kurt's face.

"You're that thief's kid."

"My father is not a thief!" Kurt bristled, though he instantly regretted it when he remembered this beast could possibly eat him. However, he didn't do more then flash his sharp teeth at Kurt again, "A thief is someone who takes something that doesn't belong to them. Those roses didn't belong to your father, but he was going to take them anyway."

"He thought they were wild roses. He wouldn't have done anything to them if he knew they belonged to you. You're just being a bully." _What part of he could eat you do you not understand?_ Kurt subconscious admonished him, but Kurt stood his ground against the beast's glare.

"I'm not used to food being so feisty," the beast growled, causing Kurt to blanch. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm here to take my father's place. Are you really going to eat me?" Kurt whispered.

"Hmm," the beast hummed noncommittally as he leaned in to sniff at Kurt's neck. Kurt froze at the feel of the beast's breath on his skin and then shivered when the beast growled again. He was standing close enough now that Kurt could feel vibration through his chest from the growls. A whimper escaped him when the beast's tongue traced up his throat.

"No, I think you might be fun to keep around for awhile," the beast said.

Kurt gulped at that, wondering if had to spend the rest of his life guessing if a day was going to be his last.

"Follow me, I'll show you where you can stay."

Kurt fell in step behind the beast and quickly realized that he had to nearly jog to keep up. He was trying so hard to keep up that he didn't realize that they were going the wrong way. Instead of going down towards the dungeon that his father had told him about they kept going up staircases.

"Where are we going?"

"To your rooms."

"Aren't I going to be staying in the dungeons like my father was?"

"No."

Clearly the beast wasn't much of a conversationalist.

"But-,"

"Do you want to stay in the dungeons?" The beast snarled at Kurt making him flinch back in fear.

"Not really," Kurt managed to get once his heart stopped racing.

"Then shut up."

Kurt could feel tears prickling at the corner of his eyes, but he blinked them back. He was not going to show any weakness before this beast.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a door that had been painted a dark green. The beast opened it and gestured Kurt inside.

"These will be your rooms. _Now if you need anything, my servants will attend you. You will join me for dinner. That's not a request!_"

With that the beast slammed the door, leaving Kurt alone in this strange room. With the reason to put on a brave face no longer present, Kurt couldn't hold back his grief any longer.

As the tears streamed down his face, Kurt flung himself onto the bed and began to cry in earnest. He would never be able to see his beloved father ever again and he would have to spend the rest of his life leaving with this horrible beast. All his dreams of adventure and romance were shattered.

Kurt sobbed harder into the bed sheets, wondering if he'd ever be happy again.


	5. In Which Beast Gets Some Advice

Title: Beast  
Author:  
Pairing: Karomel  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Disney  
Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy named Kurt. But everybody in town called him Beauty.  
A/N- Here's a list of characters and who they correspond with if anyone's interested.

Cast of Characters  
Beast- Dave  
Belle- Kurt  
Gaston- Will  
Lumiere- Puck  
Cogsworth- Artie  
Mrs. Potts- Mrs. Hudson  
Chip- Finn  
Maurice- Burt  
Wardrobe- Mercedes  
Featherduster- Brittany

**In Which Beast Gets Some Advice**

Kurt was still sobbing into the bed sheets when he was startled by a knock at the door. It was so quiet that it couldn't possibly be the beast with his loud, brash ways. Could there be more people in the castle?

"Who's there?" he called out hesitantly.

"Mrs. Hudson, dear," was the soft response. Curious, Kurt hastily scrubbed the tears off his face before opening the door only to find no one there. Kurt looked up and down the hall wondering if he'd imagined the friendly voice. He stumbled back in shock when he heard the voice again, this time originating around his feet. When he looked down he saw not a little person, but rather a teapot and a little teacup.

"Oh," was all Kurt could say, stumbling backwards in surprise. He ended up accidently backing into what he thought was an ordinary wardrobe. This theory was disproved when the wardrobe also began speaking.

"Watch where you're going there white boy."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Kurt said, shaking his head when he realized he'd just apologized to a wardrobe. "I don't understand," he continued glancing between the wardrobe and the tea set on the floor. "How can you talk?"

"That's a long story for another time, my dear," the teapot, Mrs. Hudson said. "What you need now is rest. Would you care for a spot of tea?"

"Yes, thank you very much," Kurt murmured. This was all crazy, there was a more than decent chance his mind had snapped under all the pressure and he was hallucinating all this. But if this was the only way he could still have some civilized conversation while still living with the beast then he'd take it.

"Excellent," exclaimed Mrs. Hudson, tipping itself, herself? Forward and pouring steaming tea into the teacup. "Careful now Finn, don't spill."

The little teacup hopped closer to Kurt, giggling softly to himself. Kurt hesitantly picked him up and took a small sip.

"That was a very brave thing you did, coming all the way out here to take your father's place," Mrs. Hudson said, as though sensing Kurt's distress and wishing to ease it.

"Yeah," Finn chipped in. "Beast can be scary and loud sometimes. It was really cool of you to stand up to him like that."

"I don't feel very brave," Kurt confided. "I'm terrified and I'll never see my father again."

"Don't worry, young one," Mrs. Hudson said, comfortingly. "It'll all turn out all right in the end just you wait and see."

Kurt smiled and took another sip of the sweet tea, glad that he'd found friends in this new place, even if they might be figments of his imagination. His mind caught on something Finn had said though.

"Wait, do you just call him 'Beast,' he doesn't have a real name?"

"He had a name once, back before the transformation," the wardrobe said. "But he started referring to himself as Beast and it's been so long since he went by anything else, that we can't remember what his name was anymore. Most of us always just called him the Master anyways."

"I see," Kurt said. He couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the poor creature. He couldn't fathom what it must be like to not remember your own name, to hate yourself so much that you could only refer to yourself as something with such negative connotations.

"Now then, deary," Mrs. Hudson interrupted Kurt's musings. "I must go and check on dinner now. Come along, Finn." With that the two hopped back out the door as suddenly as they had come.

"Well then, I guess that means it's time for us to find you something to wear," the wardrobe said, opening up the drawers to reveal a multitude of clothes. Somehow, a pair of soft looking leather breaches and a dark green shirt with a ruffled collar found its way to the front. "Now you'd look absolutely ravishing in this."

"That's very kind of you," Kurt said. "But I'm not going to dinner."

"But you must, the Master specifically requested your presence," the wardrobe sounded scandalized.

Kurt was about to say just what he thought about Beast pushing his weight around when he was interrupted by a little clock came in through the door.

"Ahem," the clock gave a little cough, far more pompous than a clock had any right to be. "Dinner is served."

"Thank you for telling me, but you can inform _Beast_ that I won't be joining him for dinner."

"What?" Both the clock and the wardrobe called out at the same time.

"But you must," said the clock.

"The Master insisted," said the wardrobe.

"I said no," Kurt said firmly. "I may have to stay here, but I will not be pushed around by that big bully."

_Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle_

Beast was pacing back and forth in front of a large fireplace. On top of the mantel were Mrs. Hudson and a smarmy candlestick who went by the name of Puck. The two anxiously watched as Beast became more and more angry.

"What's taking so long? I ordered him to join me for dinner, he should have come down immediately."

"Try to by patient Master," Mrs. Hudson placated. "The poor child has lost his father and his freedom all in one day."

"Sir," Puck interjected. "Have you thought that maybe this boy could be the one to break the spell?"

"Of course I have," Beast snapped, "I'm not a fool."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Puck. "Then here's the plan: you fall in love with him, he falls in love with you and 'poof' the spell is broken. We'll be human again before midnight."

"Love is not that simple Puck," Mrs. Hudson murmured. "These things take time."

"But if we let this chance slip away we may never get another chance to be human," Puck argued.

"It's no use. He's so beautiful and I'm so…well look at me!" Beast snarled.

Mrs. Hudson and Puck exchanged a look before Mrs. Hudson took charge, comforting and mothering as always, "You just need to help him to see past all that."

"I don't know how."

"Well, you can start by trying to make yourself more presentable," Mrs. Hudson instructed. "Straighten up; try to act like a gentleman."

"Yeah," Puck agreed. "When he comes in, give him a dashing, smile to make him swoon. Come on, show me the smile."

Puck felt a little of the hope he had die away when he saw the smile that was more toothy and scary than seductive.

"But don't frighten the poor boy," said Mrs. Hudson.

"Yes," agreed Puck. "You must impress him with your rapier wit."

"But be gentle."

"Shower him with compliments."

"But be sincere."

"And above all, you must control your temper!" The two finish together.

With his head spinning with all this advice, Beast was glad when there was an interruption in the form of the clock, Artie. However, he frowned when he realized that the beautiful boy wasn't behind Artie.

"Where is he?" Beast growled.

"Who? Oh, the boy, yes…well, you see …circumstances being what they are…the thing is- he's not coming," Artie finally got out, bracing himself for the Master's inevitable explosion.

"WHAT!" Beast shouted, any image of civility vanishing as he burst out of the dining room and ran to Kurt's room where he proceeded to bang on the door.

"I thought I told you to come down to dinner."

"I'm not hungry," Was all he got in response, making Beast's eyes go wide with shock. He couldn't remember the last time someone had disobeyed a direct order from him. He was so flustered by this turn of events that he could barely come up with a coherent response.

"You- you come out or I'll- I'll break down the door," he threatened.

"Master," came Puck's hesitant voice behind him, "I could be wrong, but that may not be the best way to win the boy's affection."

"Please, attempt to be a gentleman," pleaded Artie.

"But he's being so _difficult_," Beast snarled.

"Gently, gently," Mrs. Hudson reminded.

Beast huffed. Fine, he could do this. He could be polite, he could.

"Will you come down to dinner," he tried, not sullen at all.

"No," was all he got in response.

_See,_ he mouthed at his entourage.

"Ah, ah," Artie corrected, "Suave, gentile."

Beast curled his lip, but gave it one more go.

"It would give me great pleasure, if you would join me for dinner…please," he added as a final measure.

"No, thank you."

Beast reeled back as though slapped. Who the hell did this kid think he was?

"You can't stay in there forever," Beast finally shouted.

"Oh, yes I can."

"Fine," Beast roared, all threads of patience snapped. "Then go ahead and starve." He turned back to his servants, "If he doesn't eat with me, then he doesn't eat at all," he instructed before stalking off, trusting that at least they would obey his orders.

"What is that boy's problem?" Beast ranted to himself, once he was on his own. "I order him to have dinner with me and he doesn't listen, I ask nicely and he still refuses. What does he want me to do? Beg?"

Beast grumbled for awhile longer, throwing the odd piece of furniture. He ended up grabbing up his magic mirror that could show him any image he wanted.

"Show me the boy," he demanded. The mirror responded instantly, fuzzy at first, but eventually clearing into a image of Kurt sitting on the bed with his arms and legs crossed. All anger Beast had disappeared when he saw the stunning boy and he trailed a finger longingly down the image of Kurt's face. Who couldn't help but fall instantly in love with such a Beauty?

Beast's ears pricked up when he saw Kurt start to speak, clearly speaking to someone else in the room, "I don't want to get to know Beast. I don't want to have anything to do with him."

Beast's shoulders slumped and he set aside the mirror with a heavy heart.

"I'm just fooling myself. He'll never see me as anything, but a monster."


	6. In Which a Revelation is Made

**In Which a Revelation is Made**

Kurt sighed as his stomach growled yet again. It had been easy to take the high ground a few hours ago and say he wouldn't eat. He wasn't hungry then, but now he was starving. This was a big castle, surely he would be able to sneak some food from the kitchen without running into Beast.

Kurt opened his bedroom door and glanced around. There didn't seem to be any sort of guard, so he moved into the hall and began creeping stealthily down it. For some reason, the castle didn't seem all that scary anymore. It was still dark and dirty, but now that he knew exactly what to expect in regards to the character of the Beast it didn't seem so bad.

That didn't mean he wanted to run into the guy though, so Kurt made sure to check around every corner before heading down a new hallway. He didn't really know where he was going, but kitchens were usually at the bottom in these old castles, right? So whenever Kurt came across a new set of stairs, he made his way down them.

Eventually, he made his way back to the ballroom where he first met Beast. From this point he could just faintly smell the scent of cooked meat. Kurt took a deep breath and followed he's nose down a side corridor, starting to drool a little as the delicious smell got stronger.

Finally, the corridor he was walking down ended in a closed door with bright light streaming through the gap at the bottom. Cautiously, Kurt opened the door and tried not to stare when he saw dishes washing themselves in a tub of bubbly water. Maybe he wasn't imagining things and the castle's inhabitants really were magic.

Kurt was pulled from his thoughts by the voice of Mrs. Hudson on one of the countertops.

"Can I help you, my dear?" asked the motherly teapot.

"Sorry to bother you, but I'm feeling a little hungry," Kurt replied.

"Yes, I thought you might be. Let me see what I can rustle up for you."

Mrs. Hudson began bustling around the kitchen and Kurt allowed himself to be distracted again by the self-washing dishes. He wondered what kind of magic it would take to make common household items talk. Maybe they'd been human once and had come across a witch who had forgotten the spell for turning people into frogs.

Kurt was trying to decide if it would be rude for him to ask Mrs. Hudson how she came to be a talking teapot, when a sudden shriek came from behind him, causing Kurt to jump into the air and forget all about his previous line of thought.

"What is he doing down here?" the shriek ended with, and Kurt turned around to see the little clock from earlier standing behind him, his little clock face glaring at him, Mrs. Hudson, and the rest of the room in general. "The Master gave explicit instructions that he was to stay in his room. I told Puck to stand guard outside the door."

What Artie didn't know was that Puck was a rather poor choice for a guard since less than 15 minutes after being assigned his post, Puck had been distracted by one of the feather dusters into a heavy make out session in a nearby alcove.

"Oh hush," admonished Mrs. Hudson. "I'm not going to let the poor boy starve simply because the Master has such a temper on him."

"Fine," Artie huffed "He can have a crust of bread, glass of water and then it's back to his room before the Master catches us."

"Nonsense," said Mrs. Hudson. "Kurt is our guest. What kind of hosts would we be if we let that be his first meal here?"

Artie spluttered and tried to interject, but Mrs. Hudson was on a roll now monitoring other dishes as they heated up food and polished themselves tell they gleamed. In what seemed like no time at all, she was ushering Kurt to a seat at what must be the dining room table.

As Kurt was seated, gazing out at the vast table covered with such lavish food, he felt that if only the room wasn't so dark and the castle master wasn't so horrible, it would feel like he'd fallen into one of the fairytales he loved so much.

From the first bite Kurt put in his mouth, he couldn't help eating a little faster then was strictly polite, but everything was so good that he simply couldn't help himself. And the conversation was just as good. Kurt was just starting to feel comfortable for the first time since arriving at the castle, when everything fell apart.

"What the hell is going on here?" The voice was barely loud enough to be heard, but it sent a shiver down Kurt's spine nonetheless. It must have caught the attention of everyone else as well, cause what had been cheerful conversation was now dead quiet.

"I- I was hungry," Kurt finally spoke up, since, after all, this was technically his fault.

"Are you all incapable of following orders now!" Beast thundered causing Kurt to shrink back in fear and most of the dishes to try to put as much space between themselves and their master as possible.

"I'm sorry," Kurt managed, voice barely above a whisper.

Beast didn't seem to be listening however, instead of responding he lifted up one of the chairs and smashed it into one of the walls.

It was at that point that Kurt decided he had enough. He'd been deluding himself, he simply couldn't continue to live with this barbarian. He and his father would simply have to run away to a different village together, somewhere where the Beast would never find them.

Kurt fled from the dining room, hearing the sounds of Beast's rage getting fainter as he made it back down the corridor. As he reached the exit he almost tripped over the candlestick, Puck, who'd finally been dragged from his make out session by all the noise.

"Wait, where are you going?" Puck called out.

"Promise or no promise, I can't stay here any longer."

Kurt fled out the door into the courtyard. Fortunately, his horse had stayed close to the castle and trotted over when he spotted Kurt. Kurt swung onto the horse's back and urged him into a gallop, eager to put as much space as possible between himself and that- that monster.

The wind lashed painfully at Kurt's face, but he didn't slow. The sun had set long ago, but Kurt was so focused on getting away that he didn't realize what this could mean until, "Arrroo!"

Kurt's eyes widened at the sound of the wolf howl and he could feel his horse tense under him. He urged the horse faster, but he could hear the howls getting closer. Before long he could see the wolves nipping snarling on the ground around him. There had to be a dozen of them.

One of the wolves suddenly lunged at the horse. He reared up, throwing Kurt to the ground and ran off. Some of the wolves followed the horse, but most of them stayed to circle around Kurt. Heart hammering, Kurt searched wildly for some way to escape. He snatched a large stick from the ground to try and ward off his attackers.

He managed to hit one of the wolves in the side, making it yelp, but then another wolf leapt up and snatched the stick out of Kurt's hands, leaving him defenseless. Kurt pressed his back against one of the trees and shook with fear.

This was it. There was no prince charming coming to his rescue. There was no chance of Will suddenly showing up and valiantly saving him. He was going to die here, without ever being truly loved by someone or knowing what it felt like to be kissed.

_At least I got that adventure I wanted,_ Kurt thought bitterly as what was probably the alpha wolf leapt at Kurt, jaw open wide. Kurt closed his eyes, hoping his death would be quick.

Except even a quick death should have some pain.

Which Kurt wasn't feeling.

Kurt tentatively opened his eyes and let out a gasp at what he saw. Beast had shown up out of nowhere and was taking on all the wolves, keeping them distracted from Kurt. Despite the unfair differences in numbers, Beast seemed to be holding his own.

But then one of the wolves leapt onto Beast's back and sank its teeth into Beast's neck and Kurt was sure his savior was going to go down, but Beast grabbed the wolf and threw it against a tree. That wolf didn't get back up and it seemed to make the other wolves more cautious. They backed away and when Beast continued to bite and snap after them, they finally ran off.

As the wolves fled, Kurt finally made eye contact with Beast. He was breathing heavily and was bleeding from several places and had an obvious limp in one foot. Kurt could probably outrun him if he needed to.

Kurt took a couple steps backwards, planning to continue on his way to his father. Beast didn't move to stop him, just watched with sad, brown eyes. He had rather nice eyes, Kurt realized suddenly. They were a soft, chocolate color that made him look oddly human.

Kurt wavered indecisively. It didn't seem right to just leave his rescuer bleeding in the snow. Beast or not, he had been very brave taking on all those wolves like that. If Will had miraculously shown up he probably would have turned right around and ran off screaming.

And it wasn't like Beast would know how to properly take care of his wounds. He'd probably try to like them clean and they'd get infected. It would be much better if Kurt took him back to the castle and dressed his wounds properly. He could always leave again in the morning when it was light out.

Decided, Kurt stepped forward to take Beast back to the castle and take care of him.


	7. In Which Beast Becomes Dave

Title: Beast  
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Disney  
Summary: Once upon a time there was a boy named Kurt. But everybody in town called him Beauty.  
A/N: So, a month between updates…sorry about that, holidays were kind of insane this year. But here's an update for you lovely people. This chapter's on the short side since I wanted to get something to you fast for being so patient, next one will be longer.

**In Which Beast Becomes Dave**

Kurt let out a sigh of relief as he and Beast finally made it back into the castle. Because of Beast's limp it had taken them quite awhile to make the trek back to the castle. Beast didn't seem that affected by the cold, probably because of his thick fur, but Kurt was freezing. Even the unheated entrance felt warm after the long walk through the snow.

"Mrs. Hudson!" Kurt called down the corridor. "Mrs. Hudson!"

"Yes, what- oh, dear," Mrs. Hudson gasped as she spotted the condition Kurt and her master were in. "What on earth happened?"

"That's..kind of a long story. Can you get me a bowl of warm, soppy water and a towel? Bring it to the fireplace, please."

Mrs. Hudson looked like she wanted to probe for more answers, but after a few seconds of hesitation, she hopped off towards the kitchen. Kurt placed a hand on Beast's shoulder, pushing him slightly down the corridor.

"Come on, don't stop here. Let's get to the fireplace where it will be a little warmer."

Beast only gave a low rumble in response, but he let Kurt lead him into the heated room and settle him down in front of the roaring fire. Kurt sat down next to Beast and pulled the injured limb closer for him to inspect. The sight of the matted fur made Kurt's stomach roll, but he hoped once he washed away the blood so he could actually see the wound, it wouldn't be so bad.

"How bad does it hurt?" Kurt asked softly.

Beast just grunted and Kurt took that to mean that it hurt pretty bad, but Beast was too manly to admit it. Kurt sighed and shifted awkwardly, not sure how to handle the changing situation he was in. An hour ago, nothing in the world scared him more than Beast did and now…Kurt wasn't sure how he felt about Beast now.

Beast had basically, alright, totally saved Kurt's life, so he couldn't be all bad. Yes, he was uncivilized and brutish, but he'd been living in an isolated castle with only kitchenware to talk to for who knew how many years. If Kurt had to live like that he'd probably be lacking in a few manners as well.

Kurt's head was swirling from all these new thoughts and he was relieved when he saw Mrs. Hudson arrive with the requested water so he could focus on something else. He began cleaning off the now dried blood as gently as possible, but that didn't stop Beast from hissing and growling in pain.

At first Kurt found it amusing that big, tough Beast was putting up such a fuss, but when Beast's restless movement got soapy water in Kurt's hair, the amusement faded quickly.

"Hold still, you big baby," Kurt admonished, trying to run damage control on his hair without a mirror.

"I can't help it, it hurts!" Beast snapped and for the briefest second Kurt felt the tiniest bit of that old fear rise up in him, but then he noticed that Beast had pulled his injured forearm protectively to his chest as if he honestly thought Kurt could forcibly pull it away from him.

Instead, Kurt said gently, "Come on, I'm almost finished. Trust me; it will hurt far worse if you let it get infected."

Beast glared at Kurt suspiciously, but after a few seconds he held his arm back out to Kurt.

Kurt got the remaining blood cleaned off without too much fuss and began bandaging the wound up. He was putting the finishing touches on securing the bandage when he finally worked up the courage to bring up what had caused Beast's need for bandaging.

"Thanks, by the way, for saving my life," Kurt said, smoothing down the edges of the bandage.

Beast shifted and mumbled, "Wasn't nothin'," under his breath and in that moment Kurt was sure Beast would be blushing if he could. The idea made him smile and he leaned in until he caught Beast's eye.

"One, that's a double negative and two, I like to think my life is kind of a big deal and I really appreciate you saving it. It was quite gallant of you, Beast."

Those chocolate brown eyes met Kurt's in an expression Kurt could quite make out, but when Beast opened his mouth, his voice was gruff and warm.

"You can call me Dave, if you want. That's *_cough*_ that's what my real name is."

Kurt felt something flutter in his chest at those words and maybe they were sitting to close to the fire because his face suddenly felt rather hot. But his father had raised him right, so he laid one of his small hands over Bea- Dave's huge paw and he looked up at his savior through his eyelashes.

"I'd like that, Dave."


End file.
